Is there another planet in our solar system?5:12

Studio 10 interview with Dr Brad Tucker from ANU on the new planet in our solar system and alien life in the universe.

April 12th 2017

a year ago

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An artist's impression of sunrise on planet NGTS-1b. NGTS-1b, a "monster" planet, which should in theory not exist, has been discovered orbiting a feint dwarf star far, far away. Picture: University of Warwick/Mark GarlickSource:Supplied

ASTRONOMERS have discovered a planet the size of Jupiter orbiting a star that’s only half the size of the sun, a celestial phenomenon that contradicts theories of planet formation.

The existence of the gassy giant challenges longstanding theories that such a big planet — about the size of Jupiter — cannot be formed around a star so small.

NGTS-1b, a massive hot ball of gas revolving around a red M-dwarf star 600 light years from Earth, is the largest planet compared to the size of its star ever found.

Scientists previously theorised that small stars could form rocky planets, but they did not gather enough material to form planets the size of Jupiter.

As red M-dwarf stars are the most common type in the universe, scientists now believe there may be many more planets like this.

NGTS-1b was spotted by an international collaboration of researchers using the Next-Generation Transit Survey (NGTS) facility in Chile, according to a report from the University of Warwick.

It is about 4.5 million kilometres away from its star — only 3 per cent of the 149-million-kilometre distance between Earth and the sun.

A year on NGTS-1b — the time it takes to revolve around its star — occurs every 2.6 Earth days.

An artist's impression of sunrise on planet NGTS-1b. NGTS-1b, a "monster" planet, which should in theory not exist, has been discovered orbiting a feint dwarf star far, far away. Picture: University of Warwick/Mark GarlickSource:AFP

“The discovery of NGTS-1b was a complete surprise to us. Such massive planets were not thought to exist around such small stars,” said the lead author of the research, Dr Daniel Bayliss of the University of Warwick’s Astronomy and Astrophysics Group.

“This is the first exoplanet we have found with our new NGTS facility, and we are already challenging the received wisdom of how planets form.”

“NGTS-1b was difficult to find, despite being a monster of a planet, because its parent star is small and faint,” said Warwick Professor Peter Wheatley.

“Small stars are actually the most common in the universe, so it is possible that there are many of these giant planets waiting to found.

“Having worked for almost a decade to develop the NGTS telescope array, it is thrilling to see it picking out new and unexpected types of planets. I’m looking forward to seeing what other kinds of exciting new planets we can turn up.”

The astronomers’ report, ‘NGTS-1b: a hot Jupiter transiting an M-dwarf’, will be published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.